Competitive strategic autonomy and the future of the global economy

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
• the Robert Schuman Centre Seminar Series

Please join Prof. Erik Jones, Director of the Robert Schuman Centre, for our first seminar in the 2026-2027 RSC Seminar Series.

The weaponisation of interdependence has pushed governments to find ways to minimise their economic vulnerabilities. This reaction goes by many names. Putting America first, a foreign policy for the middle class, ‘de-risking’, and strategic autonomy are popular slogans in the United States and Europe, but the phenomenon extends far beyond the North Atlantic.

The challenge is to anticipate the implications as the governments of large economies seek to reorganise global value chains and trading patterns to strengthen domestic policy autonomy. EU leaders like to imagine that they can pursue strategic autonomy in a way that remains ‘open’ to the global economy; what they ignore is the reality that the existence of similar efforts being made elsewhere ensures that any such process will be competitive. The future of the global economy will be determined by how that competition plays out.

At the EUI and the Robert Schuman Centre, we are dedicated to removing barriers and providing equal opportunities for everyone. Please indicate in the registration form your accessibility needs, if any. Alternatively, you can contact the logistics organiser of the event.